


Serendipity's Legacy

by rinshichan



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Identity Reveal, Ladybug Félix Graham de Vanily, Oblivious Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Teenagers, Time Skips, Work In Progress, teenage superheroes, teenager marinette
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:14:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 19,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24291907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rinshichan/pseuds/rinshichan
Summary: Three years have passed but Marinette hasn't still able to confess her feeling for Adrien after a thousand tries. The obstacles keep on rising and she doesn't know if she'll pick friendship or love life.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 37
Kudos: 41





	1. Timeskip

Chapter 1. Timeskip

"Marinette! Look out!"  
  
Before she could even know what that warning was for, the blueberry haired girl already fell on the ground, clutching her head in menace. She just hit a pole for walking absentmindedly and she thought to herself how much of a klutz she is.  
  
"Just how many times is it today?" her best friend muttered in disbelief.  
  
"Sorry, just been thinking about a lot of things" she laughed awkwardly and helped herself up.  
  
"I know girl, but you should get a hold of yourself" her friend replied.  
  
"Sorry to trouble you, Alya, but I'll leave my welfare to you" the girl sheds a tear.  
  
"Leave it to me, girl. I'm always behind your back" Alya replied.  
  
"It's just the first day of school yet here I go making a lot of injuries again" she sighed.  
  
"Because you're neck's becoming a giraffe looking for Adrien, duh" the brunette chided.  
  
"Jeez, Alya. Stop exposing me" she admitted and both of them laughed.  
  
"He's probably with Nino for lunch so chill. You'll see him later" Alya consoled her.  
  
"I actually thought that you and Nino are gonna each lunch together" Mari said.  
  
"Na-uh. I should balance my time with my lover and friends you know. Now let's go" Alya replied and pushing her to the nearest bench.  
  
"Still can't believe you guys lasted for 3 years now" Mari commented.  
  
"And I still can't believe there is no progress with your love life for three whole years, you know?" Alya retorted.  
  
"Right. I still can't believe myself too" Mari said and slapped her face.  
  
She has been saving Paris every day yet every time there's progress with her love life, the odds keep getting in her way. She's starting to think that her one-sided love would remain as it is forever.  
  
"Girl, think positively. Next year's gonna be the last time you might be able to be classmates with him, so just do your move already" Alya encouraged.  
  
"Then I'll just do it next year. I'll try procrastination for a change" she grinned.  
  
"That's why you're at a standstill" Alya just sighed at her best friend. Not that she can do anything now. She knows how much of an over-thinker her friend is and she is trying to understand that. It just saddens her that her best friend is worrying over her love life while she clearly enjoys Nino's company.  
  
"Yeah. I'll never get something done if I keep on moping around" she told herself.  
  
"Yep, else Kagami will take that spot beside Adrien" Alya reminded.  
  
Wong move, Alya. Marinette started to think about a lot of things again. She remembered how Kagami told Ladybug that Marinette is her first friend and how she treasures that friendship but would throw it away anytime for the sake of her relationship with Adrien. Sometimes, she just wishes she doesn't have to know anything at all because of her apathetic personality, she would always prioritize other people's feelings rather her own.  
  
She and Kagami is having a steady friendship and she tries to evade talking about Kagami and Adrien's relationship since she knows that it'll just hurt her and she thinks that Kagami also have noticed her feelings for Adrien, hence not bringing that kind of topic whenever they are together.  
  
"Forget it. Here, I brought some macarons for the girls to enjoy!" she exclaimed and sat together with the usual gang.  
  
While the others continue to chat, she is still encapsulated in her own thoughts and kept on thinking things. She met Adrien three years ago, and that time as well she discovered her crush on him but still, there is no movement or any signs that her feelings will be reciprocated. Isn't she just fooling herself with this? What a real clown.  
  
Every day is just a usual day, she would try to seat behind Adrien Agreste, gaze on him, and smile like an idiot, her best friend trying to close her mouth to prevent her from drooling. Yep, a typical summary of Marinette Dupain Cheng's middle and high school. Her friends are even wondering how she was able to keep that up for the whole three years. Even she could hit her head on the door or something.  
  
"You know what, Tikki, I think I should give up on Adrien after all" she sighed.  
  
She was lying on her bed, spread eagle, gazing at Adrien's pictures on her walls.  
  
"I'm all ears, Marinette" Tikki, her kwami, floated on top of her face trying to observe her friend's face after hearing those phrases a thousand times.  
  
Mari sat up and touched the picture.  
  
"I've been rambling too much about trying to forget, and was very indecisive with my decisions and often do them on impulse but recently, I'm trying to think in different perspectives" Mari sighed as she looked at her kwami.  
  
"Well, that's my first time hearing that. Do you not love Adrien anymore?" The kwami asked in confusion.  
  
"Of course I do!" the blue-haired girl replied immediately.  
  
"Or that's what I think" she sighed again that made her kwami just look at her.  
  
She stopped wearing pigtails anymore, her hair got longer until her waist, she got a lot taller and a part of her matured, more on her Ladybug side.  
  
"I mean I really admire Adrien, and he's cute, he's kind, lovable, caring, fashio-"  
  
"Ahem" the kwami interrupted before the endless chant about how amazing the Agreste boy would start.  
  
"Sorry. Anyways, tracing back to it, he showed me kindness even though I was impolite to him back then, maybe that's the reason I fell for him but I just can't take this situation anymore" she sighed again.  
  
"I started to fall for him more and more that I became obsessed, how laughable" she gave a faint laugh.  
  
"Didn't you tell me yourself that it's just a normal thing for humans when they feel affections towards someone?" Tikki asked.  
  
"I know, and I also told you this is the reason why most of them get hurt for falling in love" she replied.  
  
"If the pain is worth it, then that still not a lost, isn't it?" Tikki said that silenced Marinette.  
  
"It is. But not every person is strong enough to handle it. They end up breaking themselves" Marinette gave out another sigh.  
  
"See? I'm worrying over my love life rather than studying. Argh" she said and forced herself to get down from her bed.  
  
Tikki just shook her head and shrugged. This always happens but it passes as soon as it came. The next day, she'll just bring another photo of Adrien to paste in her walls, for sure. The kwami glanced at her friend struggling with her notes on her study area and looked at pictures of Adrien.  
  
"I wonder if Adrien is feeling the same way as you do, towards Ladybug" Tikki muttered to herself.  
  
If they knew each other's identities, they would be spared from all of this pain for sure but the rules of being superheroes are absolute and Marinette is well aware of it. As the new guardian, she would never use the Miraculous for her own gains again. She kept on thinking about how Chat Blanc ended up destroying the world after she left her gift on Adrien's room became a life lesson to her. She would never do it again. Tikki is sad too but she knows that someday if they'll really be meant for each other, the ball will just start rolling. Everything should just happen at the right time.


	2. Ladybug

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you for the Kudos and the comments left last chapter! I hope I did some justice in the previous chapter and as well as this one. Enjoy reading! I will update as soon as I can! xoxo Rin

"Spots off!" Marinette heaved as she settled down on the rooftop of her house.   
  
"Good work, Marinette!" Tikki applauded.  
  
"Thanks, Tikki, and here you go" Mari replied as she gave a macaron to Tikki and proceeded to go downstairs in her room.  
  
"Haaa… I'm so tired but I still need to finish this assignment before I could even sleep" Mari yawned as she foraged her bag for notes.  
  
"I can wake you up later so you can rest or now" Tikki advised but Mari shook her head.  
  
"That's a scam. I need to finish this first before I go to sleep" she gave another yawn.   
  
"Don't push yourself so hard, okay?" Tikki said.  
  
"No worries Mari replied as she started to brainstorm.  
  
She is having a hard time balancing academics and saving Paris recently that she feels like she's missing some time to rest. She loves helping people, no doubt that, but it's taxing on her body, especially the supervillains are now emerging more often.   
  
"Can we at least have 48 hours a day and dedicate that 24 hours sleeping?" Mari told her friend as she yawned.  
  
"What kept you all night, girl?" Alya asked that stopped her yawning midway.  
  
"A-ah! Nothing! Sure, it was really nothing! I was just tired and all, you know from reading fashion books, hehe" she gave an awkward laugh.  
  
"Sure. Who are you justifying yourself to?" Alya laughed at her and she just rolled her eyes. Her best friend knows that that was obviously an excuse but she dropped the subject anyway.  
  
"Nino and I are going to Louvre on Saturday for our homework due next week, have you picked your place to write a report about?" Alya changed the topic.   
  
"Yup! I already have! I chose Pont des Arts Bridge!" Mari happily exclaimed.  
  
"Ever the hopeless romantic, I see" Alya teased.  
  
"I'm French, you know" Mari retorted and they both laughed at the stupid joke.  
  
"We should go together. We can drop you by that bridge, and you can meet us at the Louvre after for a little hangout if you want. With the other people, of course" Alya laughed.  
  
"That's nice. I'm getting tired of being your chaperone" Mari joked.   
  
"Hey girls, what's up?" a male voice suddenly entered their hearing zone and looked up to Nino and the handsome, blonde guy beside him.  
  
Alya just facepalmed and closed her best friend's mouth again.  
  
"Hey, Nino. We just finished lunch" Alya supplied.   
  
"Cool. Adrien asked if it's okay to bring Kagami with her on Saturday if that's okay with you" Nino said.  
  
Alya glanced at her best friend and noticed her friend's change of demeanor. She was sad about it but she can't just turn down Adrien's request, knowing that Mari is now friends with Kagami too.  
  
"Sure, no worries! Ha-ha!" Alya replied while elbowing Mari unnoticeably.   
  
"That sounds fun! I should meet you guys after doing my own observations" Mari forced a smile.   
  
"You're not observing pieces in the Louvre, Marinette?" Adrien asked in confusion.  
  
"Um-- I will go to a different place far away from you- I mean far from Louvre-"   
  
"She's observing Pont des Arts that's why we're gonna drop her there before heading to Louvre" Alya cut her off before she can embarrass herself more.  
  
"Then we'll see you guys there" Adrien said as he politely left to do some business.  
  
"Sorry, Marinette. Both of you are my friends but this situation is kinda hard" Nino sighed as he sat beside Alya.   
  
"It's fine. Ha ha" Mari forced a laugh.  
  
She knows how hard it is for her friends who know her feelings because they would always adjust to her and that makes her feel bad.   
  
"You know, if you need an alibi for not coming, you can leave that to me" Alya winked at her and she just laughed at her friend.  
  
"No, I'm coming. Since Kagami will also come, I think she'll look forward to meeting me there too" Mari was optimistic.   
  
"I'm still rooting for you, girl" Alya tapped her shoulder as an assurance and that simple gesture warmed her heart.   
  
When Alya and Nino excused themselves, Mari sighed at her own stupidity again. She should start minding her speech and stop herself from stuttering in front of Adrien, else these kinds of encounters would haunt her thoughts for the rest of her life.  
  
"Know what, Tikki, this is just so tiresome that I'm really thinking of giving up this time" Mari sighed..  
  
Tikki emerged from her bag and looked at Mari.   
  
"Is that really your true feelings, Marinette?" Tikki asked.  
  
"AARgggh… I don't know anymore. I still want him by-"  
  
Before she could even finish her sentence, a loud crash was heard outside accompanied by wails of distressed people. "What is it now?" Mari groaned.   
  
She stealthily looked at the entrance of their Lycee and saw a guy with a magical beam that allows him to touch matter, which she classified as a supervillain.   
  
"Let's go, Tikki!" she urged and looked for a safe spot to transform. "Tikki, spots on!"   
  
Marinette then went to a strategic location to observe their enemy while keeping a safe distance.   
  
"You have the purrrfect timing. I thought I'm gonna charge alone for a moment" Chat Noir who suddenly landed beside her made his usual comments.   
  
"As if, Kitty. You know you can't subdue him perfectly without me" Ladybug replied with a smirk.   
  
They did their usual banter and tried to fight the villain as fast as possible. Marinette is trying so hard to keep herself from remembering her previous engagements with Adrien. She is now fighting to save Paris. This is what she is best at and she should forget herself as Marinette for a while.   
  
"That was a nice finish, Ladybug" Chat Noir commented.   
  
"Not calling me M'Lady anymore?" Ladybug teased that caused Chat Noir to panic and jumble his supposed reply before Ladybug cut her off.  
  
"I was just kidding. Sorry if I was teasing you too much! Bug out!" she then swished her yoyo exited.   
  
"You're giving me hopes if you're like that, M'Lady" Chat Noir sighed as he went back to the male restroom in his Lycee to transform back.   
  
"I'm really getting headaches from you, my boy. You say you're in love with Ladybug but you keep this Kagami girl by your side too" Plagg shook his head as he floated beside Adrien.   
  
"I am in love with Ladybug. Even after all these years. What do you doubt me here for?" Adrien replied as he tried to fix himself.   
  
"Did you forget that you tried to forget about your feelings for a few times?" Plagg reminded.   
  
"I did. But that was just in the heat of the moment most of the time. I also went through a lot that influenced my feelings for Ladybug at that time" Adrien defended as he now tried to go back to his classroom. With the appearance of a supervillain, classes are sure to be suspended the whole afternoon.  
  
No one was there when he arrived. He was suspecting most of them are either outside or went home due to the panic the supervillain caused.   
  
"I say you should rethink about your feelings. Just because you have two babes in front of you now doesn't mean you can lead them on at the same time" Plagg sighed.  
  
"I'm not leading anyone on. My heart will always belong to Ladybug" Adrien firmly stated.   
  
"What if one day, sugar cube's owner will change?" Plagg asked that made Adrien stop.  
  
It was no secret to him that there are a lot of other miraculous holders, that included some of his friends like Chloe and Kagami back then, that now cannot possess the miraculous for their own safety. The holders could change anytime and the fact that he was able to transform as Mister Bug back then was another proof that there is no assurance that next time; he might be able to meet the same Ladybug.  
  
"I-…" he was silent, a loss for words and his thoughts are jumbled. Will he ever find the girl of his dreams before that happens?   
  
"Ladybug's smart and she's trying everything to protect both of your identities. You should too out of respect from her" Plagg added.  
  
"I'm doing that these past years to the point it hurts, you know?" Adrien sighed.   
  
"Well, I can't say anything anymore. I'm just reminding you some things, but it depends on you how you'll face the consequences" Plagg ended.   
  
"Right. I still wish there would be a time I'll finally meet her behind that mask" Adrien said.  
  
"Even if you're married by that time to some other girl?" Plagg asked.  
  
"I don’t think that I'll marry someone who's not Ladybug but if I did, I might still want to know her. She's my first love after all" Adrien replied. 

"You're hopeless" Plagg was so done. 

Adrien just looked at Plagg and looked at his ring, his miraculous and questions are flooding his mind again. He doesn't want to doubt his feelings for her again. Not this time that he made a resolution to only love Ladybug.


	3. The Meeting

"I feel bad for Chat Noir and I wanna slap myself for saying that" Marinette is now in her room, scolding herself for her own stupidity. She felt like she added some salt on Chat Noir's wounds. She completely knows that Chat Noir was in love with Ladybug but then she decided on and teased her with those kinds of jokes. 

She decided to jump on her bed and looked at Adrien's pictures on her walls. 

"While Chat Noir always confess his love for me, I've been shutting him down ever since. Maybe we are feeling the same thing right now. That rejection" Marinette sighed. 

"Do you feel bad about him?" Tikki asked.

"I do but I'm not sure if I can reciprocate his feelings. Being in love is so hard, Tikki" Marinette said and looked at Adrien's picture again and started to remove one. "Maybe by the time I can totally remove all of his pictures here, I might be able to move on. Don't you think, Tikki?" Marinette smiled.

"If that's what you really want, Marinette, I will fully support you. I just don't want to see you sad" Tikki replied as she settled on Marinette's palms. 

"Thank you, Tikki. You're really the best" Marinette replied and brought Tikki close to her cheeks, as a form of their hug. 

Marinette looked at Adrien's picture again and sighed. She was thinking that maybe, just maybe if she fell in love with Chat Noir, she will have a happy ending but it will feel so unfair if she forced herself to love someone just for the sake of having that happy ending. She'd rather grow old alone than pull that kind of stunt towards Chat Noir and hurt both of them. Sure, she loves Chat Noir but not more than friends. She considers Chat as her only superhero partner but it's nothing more than that. 

The days went like a blur and Saturday came just as fast as lightning and Marinette is contemplating whether she should really go to their hang out. 

"I don't actually know what to give you as a piece of advice right now, Marinette" Alya sighed.

"This is killing me! I mean my mind is" Marinette cried.

"Adrien will pick us up at Nino's place and plans to drop at yours so make up your mind now. Weight the pros and cons. Fast" Alya said. 

"Ohhhh Wait wait gimme a few minutes" Marinette panicked as she paced back and forth in her room. Her mind is a literal mess right now and she's not too sure if she'll make the right decisions. 

"Ah… To hell with it. I don't care anymore. I'll wait at the bakery for you guys" she slapped herself and ended the call. 

"Are you okay with that, Marinette?" Tikki peeked from her bag. 

"Yah. I'm totally okay with it. I might just overthink if I won't go anyway" Marinette sighed. 

After a few moments, there was a honk of a car from the outside and it was indeed her friends. 

"Hey, Marinette!" Adrien greeted first.

"Ha-Hey, Adrien. Hihi" she gave an awkward laugh. 

"Hop in, girl" Alya called her attention. 

She meekly went inside the car and it was Nino who tried to break the silence.

"I don't know why, but there are around ten of us who chose Louvre for this homework," Nino said. 

"Really? I would've seriously taught most of the people would pick the Eiffel tower" Marinette replied.

"Nah, girl. Louvre has more art pieces that could be connected more to history, so there's more to write" Alya winked. 

"I see. Good thing we won't get to present this in front of the class. I'll be picked on for choosing Pont de Arts for sure. Especially Chloe" she said while mumbling the last part. 

"That would be too low if they'd do that. There's nothing wrong with anything related to romance right?" Adrien made the comment from the front seat. 

This. This is the reason why she can't easily move on because just a few words from Adrien can bring her to different heights real fast. 

"Ah--Yea, you're right! I should have nothing to be ashamed of!" Marinette tried to empower herself. 

"You can do it!" Adrien encouraged.

"I can't do it" Marinette sighed. She was dropped off at the Pont des Arts bridge a few moments ago and her mind thinking how Adrien and Kagami will spend time again later is driving her nuts. 

"You can, Marinette. You're just thinking about other things" Tikki said, still hidden from her bag. 

"I don't know. I'm too distracted that I can't even do my observations right" Marinette sighed again. 

"You should calm yourself first and stop with those what ifs" Tikki urged.

"I'm trying, I'm trying," she said and started doing a breathing exercise too loudly. 

"Well, well, if it isn't the 'I love you' girl" 

"Uwaaah!" Marinette immediately stood up from where she was sitting and made the awkward pose whenever she was surprised by the sudden appearance of people out of nowhere or more like she's always too preoccupied to notice.

She looked at the guy with the same face, same hair color, and almost the same everything with her crush except for their behavior. 

She immediately made an indignant face when she recognized him. 

"Oh, it's just you, Felix" she uttered in annoyance as she sat back on the bench.

"What… Not gonna say I love you again?" Felix teased. 

"Not dressing up as Adrien, I see" Marinette was so resigned. 

The first time she knew about Felix was when he visited the Agreste during Adrien's mother's first death anniversary, and then he came back again for a couple of few times the past three years that made them get acquainted with each other, not in a very good term though. Marinette was remembered as someone who confessed to Adrien, in Felix's mind and Felix was someone who was trying to ruin Adrien's reputation, in Marinette's mind. Although there was never really a feud between them, it's just that they don't get along that much. Given that Felix knows her crush on Adrien and he is using it against her, that's why they always end up bickering. 

"Why are you in Paris, anyway?" Marinette asked.

"Curious now, are we?" Felix evaded.

"Don't worry, I'm just asking out of courtesy, now will you please excuse me" she tried to escape but before she could even leave, a hand stopped her. 

"Are you really sure you want to leave me here?" Felix asked with a smirk and Marinette knows that this is bad news. 

"Fine. What do you want?" Marinette sighed as she sat back again. 

"Nothing. Just accompany me for the rest of the day" Felix replied. There was a hint of sadness in his voice but Marinette is not so sure if she could ask about it since they're not considered as very good friends at this moment. It was a friendship that's hard to explain. 

"Before you retort, this is an order. Else I'll tell Adrien" Felix said that earned him a glare from Marinette.

He suddenly burst out laughing and the glaring Marinette is now confused whether if her face is just funny or there's something wrong with Felix's head. 

"What now?" Marinette asked angrily. 

"I just find it funny I can still use that thing against you, you're so pathetic" Felix replied and laughed again. 

Marinette knows that he didn't say anything derogatory, but her still not being able to confess for all these years is really funny indeed. 

"Fine, laugh all you want. I'll do the same thing when you'll have a broken heart" Marinette replied, not meaning any of those words. 

"Hell, you're a really funny girl, you know that?" Felix asked.

"Yup! I'm funny, a klutz, a masochist, you name it" Marinette was so exasperated. 

"Why is it every time I see you, you're becoming extreme? We're growing up, get some courage will you?" At this point, Marinette is not even sure if he really was encouraging her or he is just again making fun of her. Either way, it made her look Felix in a different light. 

"I won't be here if I can get some" Marinette replied. 

"Let's change locations. People are looking at us like I'm bullying you or something" Felix said.

"But you are bullying me" Marinette replied and they just looked at each other with feisty eyes.

A moment later, they broke off and started laughing like idiots. 

"Forget about Adrien at the moment. C'mon" Felix urged.

"Acting like the good boy now, huh? How can I even forget him when you two look like peas in a pod" Marinette said that made Felix roll his eyes. 

"I get tired hearing that you know?" Felix grimaced. He was sensitive about it, looking like Adrien but at some point, he's not offended by Marinette doing this because he knows that this girl sees him for him, not an Adrien look alike. 

"Oh, that's a pleasure hearing that. I still need to make my observations for my homework though" Marinette replied. 

"Fine. Let's go somewhere after you do it" Felix altered. 

"And… the usual gang would be waiting for me at the Louvre…" she slowly added.

"You sure about that?" Felix smirked.

"You know something, don't you?" Marinette sharply asked. 

"What am I supposed to know about my cousin's love life? Nothing, right?" Felix mocked her. 

"Jerk" Marinette replied.

Felix knows that he won when he saw Marinette dial something on her phone. The call was made and the contact was name is Alya.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took a long time to update :( A friend of mine borrowed my laptop so I had to wait till she returns it to post an update. Enjoy!


	4. Desolate

Sitting outside of a café and sipping her orange juice while contemplating with her life decisions would be a normal thing except instead of having Alya, there's Felix in front of her. 

"Marinette, say cheese!" Felix suddenly said that surprised her so instead of her usual smile in front of the camera, the snapshot showcases her awkward face with her mouth half-opened while Felix had the liberty to look good in the photo.

"You- Can you at least stop whatever you're planning right now?" Marinette exasperatingly said. 

"I'm not planning anything. What are you accusing me of?" Felix sadly said and acted like he was hurt, clenching his chest. 

"Not funny" Marinette replied. 

"Whatever. I just need to stay here for a few months so I just decided you to be my nanny here" Felix flippantly said.

"Why do you make my life a living hell?" Marinette sighed. 

"It should be an honor for you to stay by my side" He cheekily sad that made Marinette make an annoyed face.

"I would be happy hearing that if it came out of Adrien's mouth" Marinette held no bares too. 

"C'mon I'm a nice guy too" Felix boldly said that made Marinette shook her head.

Unknowingly to her, Felix already posted their picture together on his Instagram for the whole world to see. Marinette was so preoccupied with her orange juice and thinking about how to escape the clutches of the boy in front of her. Her friends though, who are hanging out at Louvre saw the pictures, with the first one to announce, was Alix. 

"So our girl can't get Adrien and decided to get his cousin instead?" Alix joked. She was sitting beside Juleka, Rose, and Alya.

"Just what?" Alya then proceeded to grab Alix's phone and looked at the photo.

"That's just impossible. Marinette is so dead brained towards Adrien" Juleka said.

"I know right!? When did he and Marinette get even close anyway!? I mean okay, Adrien introduced him to us and we did hang out for a few times but I didn't think that they were this close!" Alya whispered to the girls.

"What are you guys talking about?" Nino suddenly asked when he noticed that the girls suddenly formed their own circle and talking to each other, leaving them out. 

Adrien, Kim, and Kagami looked at each other, also unaware of what's happening. 

"Nothing. Uhhhh… Adrien, just when did your cousin arrive here in Paris?" Alya was the first one to ask.

"What? Felix is in Paris?" Adrien asked and that got everyone confused as hell. 

"You… don't know?" Alya asked.

"No! He didn't even tell me he had planned going here" Adrien sadly said.

Alya doesn't know how to respond so she just showed the picture to Adrien. Adrien was so confused at first and then he saw it was a picture of Felix and Marinette together. At first, he was happy because Marinette is a trusted friend and he's glad his cousin is with her but the caption left him dumbfounded. Written under their picture was 'Afternoon date <3' and Adrien unconsciously frowned. Kagami noticed it and checked over his shoulder to know what's happening. 

"I didn't know Felix has a thing for Marinette. They look good together" Kagami commented that made the other girls roll their eyes and shook their heads.

"No. This must be another prank" Adrien fervently said that earned him stares from his friends. 

"Whoa, chill dude" Nino broke the tension up.

"Well, he didn't say anything about dating so it must be a friendly date, right?" Rose asked and to them, it made a lot of sense.

"Let's just leave them alone. Marinette will just talk about that to us if she feels like it" Alya said and that eased everyone up. Except for Adrien. 

He felt a little pain from his chest. He was Marinette's friend and he was Felix's cousin yet he was kept out of the light. He felt so betrayed that no one of the two confided with him about this. However, he should be happy for his cousin, right? He should be the first one to support him so why is he having these unpleasant feelings? 

"Ughhhh… I need to finish writing my report before I get distracted again, Tikki! Help me focus" Marinette said as she tried to start on her essay. 

"How do I help you do that?" Tikki oddly asked. 

"I don't know too" Marinette gave a sob as she remembered how her afternoon was ruined by someone.

"You shouldn't burn yourself out, Marinette. You still have a few days to finish it and there's no point in trying to do something if your heart is not with it" Tikki said as she sat on Marinette's desk, facing her. 

"You're right… But I wanna do it as soon as possible so I won't forget what I'm supposed to write" Marinette sighed with a sad face. 

"Just do the outline first and get a breather, okay? You won't forget anything, you need to relax first" Tikki replied. 

"Okay" Marinette meekly agreed and started writing again. 

Tikki got out of her way and while Marinette was focused, she decided to meet with another kwami on Marinette's balcony.

"Hey there, sugar cube" Plagg, who was sitting on the chair, relaxing, greeted. 

"What's wrong?" Tikki asked. 

"Adrien's cousin is staying at his place so I decided to escape. I never liked that boy" Plagg complained. 

"I don't like him that much too and Marinette's having a hard time with him too" Tikki grumbled too. 

"I still see him sniffing around Adrien's things from time to time and I'm not sure how he changed for the past years. I hope he doesn't bring trouble to our masters" Plagg said. 

"I hope so too. Marinette is already having a hard time being Ladybug and the Guardian at the same time. I don't want her to get in more trouble" Tikki worried. 

"I know. Let's just hope for the best. I still wish we'd get Nooru back so everything will be okay" Plagg sighed. 

"Let's hope for the best" Tikki agreed. 

"Tikki?"

A head popped up from the trapdoor and the black kwami immediately dissipated. 

"You done, Marinette?" Tikki floated next to her as she got out of the trapdoor. 

"Yup. I'll relax for a while, just as you suggested" Marinette replied as she sat on the chair, admiring the bright stars shimmering across the night sky. 

"That's good to hear," Tikki said as she settled of Marinette's forehead. 

Before she could even have a few moments for herself, her phone rang. 

"Alya! It's already late" Marinette answered the phone.

"Na-uh! There's no such thing as late when it comes to gossip" Alya replied on the other end. 

"Why? What's up?" Marinette was obviously confused. 

"Your picture with Felix! Thanks to that, the gang knew you're with him! You could've told me that earlier instead of having another lame excuse" Alya said. 

"He posted it!? Ugh! I never had the chance to open my phone earlier since I was so busy babysitting him! What did Adrien say!? Oh no.. Oh no.. My life is doomed now!" Marinette is panicking. 

A lot of what-ifs are going through her mind right now and she doesn't even know what to do.

"Chill girl. He was the one who said that maybe it's just Felix's prank. He knows his cousin best better than we do" Alya replied. 

"B-But-" Marinette stopped in her tracks. 

Alya's right. In any case, Adrien might've just brushed it off like that. What if Adrien takes it seriously one day and then supports his cousin? It would truly break Marinette's heart. 

Marinette has been silent for a while that made Alya worry. 

"Girl, I know you're overthinking again. Just let the pieces unfold before you do something again" Alya lectured. 

"Thanks, Alya. I'll call tomorrow. Bye" Marinette bid her goodbyes and she sighed again. 

She went back to her bed and proceeded to remove another picture of Adrien on her wall. 

"I wish you'd look in my way, at the very least. I can see our gap getting wider and wider" Marinette sighed as she looked at the picture. 

Marinette was zoning off for a few moments, just looking at the picture in her hand. After another few minutes, she crumpled it and threw it on her trash. She looked at the remaining pictures. There's still a lot but the longer they stay, the more pain she's feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter is not boring :) Leave me your thoughts!


	5. Adrift

"I was really surprised that you're here. You could've called or messaged me so I'd known you were coming" Adrien, who was in his desk making his homework muttered as he threw a glance at his cousin who was chilling on his bed. 

"That would spoil all the fun" Felix nonchalantly replied while fiddling with his phone accompanied with a grin. 

"Felix, I know you'd love some fun but it would be great to update me from time to time. We're cousins so I'd be really glad if you'd rely on me. Besides, it's more fun to hang out with a few friends" Adrien said.

"I'm well aware of that, cousin, but it's somewhat, exasperating having a lot of people around you. I'm having lots of fun with Marinette anyway" Felix replied as he rolled on his stomach to look at Adrien.

Adrien didn't have any rebuttal on that since he knows that there are still things that are comfortable for him, but uncomfortable with Felix. Vice versa. 

"You know what, I'm really happy that I changed the past few years, thanks to your influence, not a lot, but still changes, but there are things that are no-go for me" Felix added and returned back to his phone. 

"I, too am happy that you're not acting like a robot anymore but you should try to venture out more. Going to school and meeting a lot of friends really made me better compared to those times where I'm living a monotonous life" Adrien explained. 

"I know, cousin, but just because they're your friends doesn't mean they're also my friends. Some of them still can't even forget about that thing I did three years ago" Felix replied as he stood up from Adrien's bed. 

"But I already forgot about that and we already forgave you" Adrien reasoned out. 

"For you, yes. For them? I don't think so. Not that I mind. Only Marinette forgave me genuinely. I just know how sincere her words are" Felix replied as he dragged a chair and sat beside Adrien. 

"Do you… um.. Like Marinette?" Adrien was perplexed. 

"Yeah, I sure do" Felix replied that caught him off guard. 

"Wh…at? That's.. That's my first time hearing that…" Adrien was obviously shaken.

"Oh? I wasn't able to mention it? She's really a nice person" Felix replied as he plopped his right hand on the desk and placed his chin on the same hand, eying the unsettled Adrien fascinatingly. 

"Of course, she is. That's why everyone likes her" Adrien replied. 

"That girl's so fun to be with, especially the way she reacts to my teasing is so beguiling" Felix laughed. 

"Hey… Don't tease her too much, okay? Stop if you think she's not in a good mood. Don't make girls cry" Adrien worryingly said. 

"Speaking of letting girls cry, how many did you leave weeping for dating that Kagami girl?" Felix diverted the topic and probed into Adrien's love life. 

"I didn't let anyone cry and I'm not even dating Kagami. Sure, I did think some times that I like her more than a friend but I only have one person I'm in love with" Adrien replied. 

"Oh, that unrequited first love. We're already young adults and yet you still believe in first love. You're the one who needs moving on. There's a lot of girls around you" Felix urged. 

"I know that but there's just something different when I'm with her, I felt so unshackled. I can just be myself every time, not being the famous designer's son nor the supermodel Adrien Agreste… I can just be… me" Adrien explained with his eyes twinkling and that didn't pass by Felix's sight unnoticed. 

"Good for you that you can be so carefree with that person but just so you know, first love doesn't usually work out. Anyways, I still have another date with Marinette tomorrow so I'm leaving for my hotel" Felix said as he stood up and pat Adrien's back. 

"You're not staying here?" Adrien alarmingly asked. 

"Nope. It's not good to meddle with a grown-up boy, isn't it? I might step on some line again" Felix sarcastically said as he eyed Adrien's father's picture on his desk. He did something three years ago that until now, Gabriel Agreste is still wary with him and he won't take any chance to get caught in something troublesome again. 

"That's not it. You're still my cousin" Adrien argued. 

"Thanks but I have a taxi waiting outside for me" Felix replied as he waved his phone with a transportation app opened. "I'll see you later" he added as he excused himself. 

"Well, he was right in one thing" Plagg suddenly appeared from his piano that earned Adrien's attention. 

"About what?" Adrien asked.

" That first love doesn't usually work out! I'd look for my true love if I were you. You see, over time I realized that my sweet darling Camembert has been invading my mind more and more and I drew the conclusion that it's my true love! The only thing that can give me satisfaction, just like how true love is" Plagg proceeded with his declaration of his love towards the foul-smelling cheese. 

Adrien just shook his head in disbelief but indeed taking Plagg's word into account. Sure, he made sense but wouldn't it be better if his first love and his true love would be the same person?

9A.M. and it's one of the rare mornings that Marinette doesn't want to meet with anyone. She lazily checked her phone for some messages and she did get one from Alya asking her if she wants to grab a snack later that afternoon. A thought popped up from Marinette's mind and she got ready as fast as she can and called Alya. 

"Alya! Please come and help me!" Marinette explained while she traced down the stairs. 

"Whoa girl, relax. What's wrong?" Alya asked in a worrying voice. 

"Felix! He wants me to have lunch with him! Can you come with me?" Marinette pleaded. 

"Whoa, come at the Couffaine's household. Juleka, Mylene, and Rose are in there, Alix is on her way there too" Alya replied. 

"Wait- you guys planned to hang out today without even inviting me?" Marinette asked. 

"Nope. We planned on forcing you to spill the tea on what's with you and that Felix this afternoon but oh well, it looks like the odds are in our favor today" Alya was so ecstatic. 

"Right. I should've known. I'll meet you there in 15. See you" Marinette replied as she dropped the call. 

Just a few blocks after she went out of her place, I loud crash and a roar was heard from a distance and that was her cue to become Ladybug.

There was indeed a monster on a rampage and a few moments of exchanging blows with the akumatized person, Chat Noir entered the scene by catching the blown Ladybug. 

"Nice catch, kitty! Our roles were reversed this time, huh?" Ladybug joked, implying that she's the one who'd usually help out Chat Noir.

"You're welcome, M'Lady. The second part was not true though" Chat Noir replied while defending their selves from the attack at the same time. 

"Oh, I don't lie" Ladybug continued on teasing but Chat Noir didn't quite heart it, rather… was preoccupied with some other things. 

Ladybug hasn’t noticed it at first but Chat Noir was obviously distracted that got them a hard time defeating the Akuma. It took a long time but at least they were able to defeat it. 

"Sorry, M'Lady" Chat Noir apologized. 

"It's okay, Chat Noir. I'm sorry for being insensitive too. I know we have problems that we don't share with each other but I hope those problems will pass soon" Ladybug replied.

"Thanks, Ladybug" Chat Noir replied as she saw the girl slowly disappearing at the distance. "How can I stop loving her at this point? I'm too deep it's hard to reach the surface again" Chat Noir sighed. 

At the Couffaine's place, the girls were in Juleka's room waiting for the others to arrive. 

"The akuma incident took me a lot of time to reach here. I'm sorry" Alya apologized first and then Marinette entered the door that earned her all the stared. 

"Hi guys, I'm sorry I'm late too. There was an akuma near my place- wah!" 

Before Marinette could finish explaining, Alya and Alix grabbed her by the arm and placed her in the hot seat by surrounding her with suspicious eyes. Anything that was akuma related was immediately forgotten after seeing Marinette's face. 

"Now, here comes Rapunzel. Care to share?" Alix was the first one to tease. 

"I felt sad you didn't even share something like this to us" Rose added. 

"Uh… same" Juleka said. 

"I was not there yesterday but yep, you should tell me the details" Milen uttered. 

"I wanna know too!" Rose joined.

"I know things but not the whole thing so spill!" Alya also exclaimed. 

"Okay… Okay… But let me breathe first!" Marinette replied and just after that, her phone rang. The caller was Felix. All the girls looked at each other and they focused on Marinette. Marinette has her bulging eyes glued on the phone, still don't know whether to accept the call or not.


	6. Hold

Awkwardness has been Marinette's middle name but this would probably the first time in her life that she felt so awkward more than ever. She accidentally answered Felix's call earlier so she had no choice but to comply with his wishes, but the girls asked Luka to accompany her to ward off the evil. Marinette was so done with everything that she just let the girls do whatever they want. Luka, just as the good boy that he is, gladly helped the girls. 

"Well, I would've never wondered that Marinette would bring a friend" Felix was eyeing Luka. 

"I was free and she seemed so troubled so I took the liberty" Luka replied. 

"And I thought it would be better if we have more people so yea! Hehe! I will grab some pastries!" Marinette made her little escape. 

"You're in love with that girl," Felix said straightforwardly. 

Luka did not reply but he was looking at Felix sternly as if trying to read what he's about to say next. 

"She's in love with my cousin so I think you're just wasting your time" Felix snickered that earned him a glare from Luka. 

"I am well aware of that and not a time with her is being wasted. I am here to support her in any decisions she makes so I don't think you can invalidate my feelings for her" Luka replied without batting an eyelash, looking straight at Felix's eyes. 

"This is why men are troublesome" Felix mumbled to himself and laughed. 

"Tough guy, aren't we? Isn't it just a matter of time that you will ask her to reciprocate your feelings?" Felix added. 

"You can bark all you want but I'm firm with my decision staying by her side as long as she needs me. Not as a potential lover but I am here for her as a friend" Luka replied. 

"I say it's too early for that kind of declaration. Let's see how much you can endure, seeing the girl that you love fall out of love with her first love and ends up with another person who's not you" Felix smirked. 

"What are you implying?" Luka asked irritably. 

"I have the same face, same voice, same stature, and even the same hair as her first love. I've got the best shot don't you think?" Felix asked. 

"Marinette is not like that" Luka angrily said.

"Exactly why she got my attention and look now, here I am trying to swat away the bugs" Felix replied. 

"You won't fool her with that attitude of yours" Luka responded with furrowed eyebrows.

"Don't you think she already knows this side?" Felix sneered.

"Even if she did, she's doing it out of compassion. Marinette is nice to everyone that is also nice to her. She's also understanding that indeed I sometimes get strange feeling but people know that she's just too nice for her own good" Luka replied. 

"And that's the perfect attitude to be taken advantage of, right?" Felix provoked but before Luka could answer, Marinette already came back bringing a plate full of cookies and cupcakes. 

"I can't pick so I decided to get both" Marinette said as she sat, waiting for the guys to make comments. 

"I'm fine with anything" Felix replied as he grabbed a cupcake. 

"How about you, Luka?" Marinette asked. 

"I'll take some cookies" Luka replied and proceeded to grab one. 

They were eating peacefully and having some short exchanges but suddenly, when Marinette was drinking her juice, Felix dropped the bomb. 

"So, still no progress with you and Adrien?" Felix asked and Marinette was taken off guard and spewed out her juice.

"Not funny, Felix. Not ever" Marinette replied as Luka helped her wipe the mess on her face while Felix was laughing his daylights off. 

"What? I'm not even telling a joke. Was just asking" Felix snorted as he tried to wipe a tear from his eyes. It was the first time she saw a lady so unsophisticatedly gush out what they're drinking. In front of him no less. 

"Pick the right timing will you!?" Marinette angrily asked. She was so embarrassed right now especially thinking what if it was Adrien in front of her and he sees that. 

"I'll just fix myself," Marinette said and left for the bathroom.

"So amusing, isn't she?" Felix incited again. 

"I don't really get you" Luka is getting confused.

"I only need a few people to understand me and you are clearly not one of them" Felix replied. 

The table then went silent until Marinette returned. 

"I still didn't get an answer" Felix teased Marinette again that earned him her eye roll. 

"Of course, it's non-existent. Is that what you wanna hear from me?" Marinette replied.

"Calm down, hotshot. Your fault from breaking our promise" Felix replied and Marinette just shook her head in defeat. 

"And since I'm a good friend, I saw Adrien's schedule and he has a photoshoot this Wednesday. In exchange for teasing you, you might wanna come with me" Felix bargained that earned him Marinette's twinkling eyes but Luka's grim one.

Luka hated how he can't read Felix so he can't make any countermeasures to what this guy is planning. He just doesn't want Marinette to be one of his pawns, judging from how the girls have talked about him. Marinette's one-sided love is already too much to handle, getting into more dramas would surely tire her out. 

"Can I really go!?" Marinette happily asked and that made Luka look a little sad. 

"Of course. You should come after your class" Felix replied. 

"That would be so great! Thank you!" Marinette was gleaming with joy. She gets invited to his photoshoots sometimes but there are times she declines because of her job as Ladybug or her responsibilities as Marinette. 

Seeing Marinette's happy face warmed Luka's heart and decided not to say anything anymore. As long as Marinette is happy, he'll be contented. 

"No problem. Though Kagami might be there" Felix informed that waned Marinette's smile a little. 

"That would be great too! The more the merrier!" Marinette replied accompanied by an awkward laugh. 

That words of hers were genuine. She's been trying to avoid Kagami but she guessed she can't run away anymore. She had no reason to hate Kagami anyway because it was Adrien who picks who he falls in love with. She decided that her friendship with Kagami won't be broken just because of a guy. Sure it would take some time to heal if ever Kagami and Adrien would date, but she won't hold any hard feelings towards Kagami. She's still a precious friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry for the delayed chapter but the quarantine facility I'm in right now has a very poor signal and doesn't have a wifi connection :( I will be out in a few days so regular updates will be back by then!


	7. Vague

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp since the last chapter took a long time to update, I had to post this one early for you guys <3 Enjoy!

"He's really dreamy" Marinette muttered to herself as she watches Adrien doing his poses from afar. She also sketches new fashion designs with Adrien as his model in her little notebook, which she has been doing in the past few years. 

"Why don't you draw me instead? We have the same face" Adrien said as he laced his arms around Marinette's shoulder. Marinette didn't bother removing his arm but rolled her eyes instead. 

"I would've done it a long time ago if I could but inspiration comes to me when I'm only looking at him" Marinette replied as she looked at Adrien again.

"Wow, that hurt" Felix replied sarcastically and Marinette just rolled her eyes again. 

Marinette returned to her sketching while Felix just watched along, forgetting to remove his arms around Marinette. Adrien is fully aware that Marinette is in the vicinity but she might've arrived late since he wasn't able to meet her before the photoshoot started. As the photographer changes his lenses, he tried to look around and a few meters from him was a bench, with Marinette and Felix was sitting on it. Felix having his arms draped around Marinette's shoulder is giving Adrien mixed feelings. He then saw Felix inch his face closer to Marinette's but before he would know what Felix will do, his photographer already called his attention.

"Your eyelashes are really short for a girl," Felix said as he eyed Marinette's face. 

"I think they're just normal" Marinette replied. 

"Well, it's attractive in its own way though" Felix replied.

"Are you giving me compliments?" Marinette stopped sketching and looked at Felix weirdly.

"What?" Felix was confused.

"Are you sure you and Adrien didn't switch? You acting very nice is really weird" Marinette joked.

"So you want to be bullied by me?" Felix asked as he inched his face close to Marinette again, this time Marinette was facing him. 

"Of course not!" she replied as she pushed Felix's face away from her. 

"I just want to make up from extorting you these past few days" Felix replied.

"Felix is feeling bad? For me? Are you sure you weren't abducted by aliens or something?" Marinette asked with a horrified face but deep inside she's starting to enjoy teasing Felix. 

"Whatever. I should just bully you again" Felix replied as he crossed his arms.

'I'm kidding, kidding. Just stay like that" Marinette laughed.

"Do you prefer me like this?" Felix asked.

"Well, you are indeed nice like that but if you're just forcing yourself to be nice, it's no different from having a superficial friendship with others. You just need to be yourself and others will just accept you for who you are" Marinette replied.

"Isn't it nice to be liked by a lot of people tough?" Felix added.

"Well, you can't please everybody. Being liked by a lot of people is nice but if you're doing it but hurt others in the process, that's really repulsive" Marinette said as she remembered a specific girl.

"Fair point. I should just bully you then. I'm more comfortable with that" Felix grinned.

"Tone it down, will you?" Marinette laughed.

Before they can continue their exchange, a figure of a girl was on the opposite side waving at them, at Marinette specifically.

Marinette smiled as she waved back at the girl too and set down her notebook.

"Let's meet Kagami" Marinette said as she immediately went to Kagami, leaving Felix trailing his eyes after her.

"I really can't understand this girl" Felix muttered as he also got up and walked to them. 

"How are you? We missed seeing each other last weekend" Kagami said as she held Marinette's hands, glancing at Felix and back to Marinette.

Adrien saw the group so he just waved at them before posing for the photographer again. 

Kagami doesn't like Felix that much even though he looks like Adrien. She and Felix have opposing personalities and she is very open about her dislike on his mischievousness. Kagami is well aware of the rumors regarding the guy and is still cautious, in case the same incident will happen. She will do anything for Adrien, including protecting him from those who want to hurt him. Sure, they don't know each other well but it's in her gut feeling not to trust this guy. 

"I'm doing fine! There're just a lot of things that happened" Marinette replied. Felix was just beside Marinette, listening to them talk. 

Adrien is still having his photoshoot so they just settled at the side, keeping on talking. Marinette and Kagami don't meet often so they catch up on each other when they're together. 

"We should go together with Alya next time! It's more fun if we bring a lot of friends" Marinette grinned.

"I'm fine with that. I still need to ask my mother for permission but I'm hoping she'll allow me" Kagami replied. 

"Yes! It was really fun so it would be a bummer if you can't go with us" Marinette said sadly. 

"I'll try my best to convince her," Kagami said as she tapped Marinette's shoulder.

A call from Marinette's phone interrupted them so she had to excuse herself. 

"You've changed, Ice Queen" Felix sneakily commented, so that Marinette won't hear.

"And I see you still haven't" Kagami replied. 

"I've become nicer now" Felix defended.

"You can’t fool me with that pretense of yours" Kagami hissed. 

"Oh you don't like me but you'd push your friend to date me. That's nice" Felix shamed. 

"I'm not pushing Marinette to date you" Kagami replied and looked at Felix angrily.

"I didn’t say any name" Felix smirked.

"Adrien told me that you said Marinette and I looked good together. Well, that would be fewer competitors for you I guess and I got to date Marinette. That's a win-win situation. Keep it up" Felix added as he left Kagami glaring at him. 

"You're the worst" Kagami ridiculed under her breath. 

She did not expect that Felix would take it that way and neither did she expect that Felix would go this far to be despicable. She did say that they looked good together, but instead of thinking about Felix, in that picture, he registered him as Adrien, and she admits that they indeed look good together. Marinette and Adrien, what a nice duo but she won't let herself waver. She will do anything to get Adrien's love. They're still not dating right now because she knows Adrien is still half-assed with her and she's still not sure if Adrien really sees her as a potential lover. 

They had an almost lover occurrences but it was Adrien to always pull away first, looking like he was betraying someone. How can she still push for it if she sees his face like that? 

"What!? I didn't know she was coming! I would've stayed there if I'd known!" Marinette reasoned out on her phone.

"I know but your grandma wanted to surprise you. We also didn't know she was coming so if it's okay with you can you go home right away?" her mom asked and she glanced at Adrien. She's debating if she should go home without talking to Adrien or stay until it ends, but the latter would surely break her Grandma's heart. 

"Okay, I will" she replied sadly. 

"Sorry to cut off your time with your crush, sweetheart" her mom apologized.

"It's okay mom. I'll see you in a bit" Marinette replied and dropped the call.

"You were making a funny face so I just had to ask why" Felix joked.

"I have to go home now. My grandma's visiting" Marinette replied. 

"I'll take you home since I was the one who invited you in the first place," Felix said. 

"No, it's okay. You can just stay here" Marinette replied.

"I insist. Let's go" Felix said as he grabbed Marinette's hand and that didn't pass by Adrien's eyes.

"I'll just say goodbye to Kagami" Marinette said and a few moments later, she and Felix left the park with Kagami's eyes locked at them.

After another 30 minutes, Adrien's photoshoot finally ended.

"Where's Marinette?" Adrien asked first things first.

"She had to go home so Felix accompanied her" Kagami answered.

"I see. That's sad. So sorry if you had to wait for too long for me, Kagami" Adrien apologized.

"It's fine. I'm free anyway" Kagami replied as she handed him a bottle of water. 

"I'll just get ready in a moment so I can send you home too," Adrien said and Kagami just nodded with a smile. 

Just before they could leave the area, a patrol approached them.

"Good sir and miss, I just would like to ask if you own this. The content looks like you so I thought of asking you first before handing it to the lost and found" the officer asked and showed them a pink notebook with white dots as design. 

"Me?" Adrien was puzzled so he checked the notebook and the sketches inside indeed matched his face. Since the officer was waiting, after a few flips he recognized the penmanship.

"This is a friend of mine's possession. Is it okay if I'm the one to return this?" He told the officer and that made Kagami look at him. 

"No problem. Tell her to please refrain from forgetting her things" the patrol replied and left. 

"Is it Marinette's?" Kagami asked.

"Yeah. I'll return it tomorrow since we have a class together. Let's go" Adrien replied.


	8. Gone

"These are all sketches of me, Plagg. Some even date 2 years ago" Adrien was on his bed, flipping the notebook that Marinette left. 

"There are more of those in Marinette's place for sure" Plagg uttered inaudibly.

"What?" Adrien asked.

"Nothing. Didn't Marinette tell you she loves fashion? And besides, she idolized your father" Plagg replied.

"That's true," Adrien said and brushed the thoughts away but continued on flipping at the notebook.

They are all detailed, like what fabrics to be used, the intricate design that should be placed, it was all overwhelming that Marinette used him as an inspiration. However, a bad notion entered his mind.

"What if this is not me? What if her inspiration was Felix?" Adrien asked that made Plagg want to bash his head on the table.

Just how dense is his boy? Maximum level, of course. 

"If we put it that way, isn't it good? Your cousin will finally have a lover!" Plagg said that made Adrien think.

"I know that but I just don't want Marinette to get hurt. What if those are just Felix's whims? If Marinette is in love with him for a long time already, it would be hard on her if he's just playing around" Adrien sadly said.

"You can just ask Felix directly, you know" Plagg urged.

"But I won't know for sure if Felix is lying or not" Adrien replied worriedly.

"Yeah because that cousin of yours has some serious attitude problems" Plagg crossed his arms.

"But it doesn't mean he's a bad person" Adrien defended. 

"Marinette's an awesome girl and she's a very good friend to me so I just want to protect her too," Adrien said as he looked at the notebook in his hands. He skimmed the pages again when he noticed a small bump on the back cover. 

There, he found a folded picture. It was with their whole gang, a picture from three years ago. It warmed his heart, knowing how much Marinette treasures her friends.

"Look at your smiling face, Adrien. It was so pure back then" Plagg thrown a comment over his shoulder. 

"I was very happy back then. It was my first time going to school so I was very excited" Adrien replied.

"I still don't get why you love school so much," Plagg said.

"We don't need to talk about that again, do we?" Adrien said. 

"Nope, as long as you hand me camembert" Plagg grinned. 

"Go get them yourself" Adrien replied, still not looking away from the photograph. 

Their circle has expanded now but their friendship remains strong, or that's what he's seeing right now. There are a lot of their friends engaging with romantic relationships, and he was kinda thrown out of the loop. IT was his decision not to date anyone though since he's already in love with Ladybug but sometimes, he also yearns that kind of relationship with her. Not just as superhero partners. 

"Adrien, worst-case scenario, what will you do if you find out that Marinette is in love with you?" Plagg asked while gulping down a slice of camembert. 

That sent Adrien to thinking. He had never seen Marinette as a potential lover so he still doesn't know how to respond to Plagg, though the thought made him blush. 

"Well, there are a lot of people showing their love to me but I'm not sure how to respond to Marinette if that happens" Adrien replied that made Plagg groan.

"If you don't see her that way, just reject her. With those half-hearted answers, you are no different from people who are trying to hurt her" Plagg said that made Adrien look at him.

"But rejecting her would also hurt her" Adrien reasoned out. 

"Heartbreak is normal, it's better than letting her hopes up" Plagg replied that made Adrien set to think. 

…..

"Tikki! What should I do if someone saw that notebook? Ugh! Why am I such a klutz?" Marinette was scolding herself again for the nth time.

"Calm down Marinette. Maybe someone will just give it back to you if they find it" Tikki replied.

She was on her way to school and she didn't notice her missing notebook last night since she was too preoccupied with her grandmother. Just this morning, she realized it was missing. 

"The problem is I can't calm down!" Marinette replied. 

She slowly made her way to school and also felt sad that maybe she won't ever see that notebook again. She might be thinking that the missing notebook was a sign that she should give up on Adrien.

She entered the class late and Alya being her seatmate filled her what she missed. 

"Nino said that Adrien found your notebook full of sketches, with his face! No less! Girl, you are so clumsy" Alya whispered at her since the class is already starting. 

"Oh no! I can't face Adrien again!" Marinette said and took a glance at the opposite side of the room, where Nino and Adrien are sitting. Their sitting arrangement for this class are boys to the left and girls on the right so Nino and Alya can't sit together. 

"Girl, calm down" Alya replied and the abundance of people telling her to calm down is making her stomach churn.

"For the nth time, I can't calm down" Marinette sighed as she went back to jotting down notes, still worried. 

"He's a model, girl. He's used being confessed all the time" Alya reminded. 

"But I'm his friend. He'll lose his trust in me! Or worse, avoid me" Marinette replied under her breath while sneaking some glances on Alya. 

"He won't, you said it yourself, you're his friend" Alya cheered. 

Marinette just nodded but that didn't remove her worry. She's afraid that Adrien will treat her differently so she's being cautious and the first one to try and avoid as well. 

Just as the bell rang, before Alya could even talk to her, she already went out of the room immediately, cutting off all contact. 

"That's girl is just too jumpy" Alya sighed. 

"Let's go Alya" Nino approached her.

"Sure, let's go" Alya replied. 

"Where's Marinette?" Adrien asked as he noticed that Alya was alone. 

"It’s fine, that girl was just overthinking. I'll call her later to join us" Alya assured but that didn’t make Adrien less worried. 

He feels like something is kinda off knowing that Nino already told Alya about the notebook.

"Tikki, what should I do? Adrien knows everything for sure now" Marinette said gloomily as she locked herself in a bathroom stall and opened her sling bag where Tikki is. 

"Do breathing exercises first. It will help you calm down" Tykki advised and Marinette indeed followed instead of talking back. 

"You put all of your confessions for Adrien in your diary at home so I think he won't know anything just looking at your sketches," Tikki said. 

"But won't he find it weird that I'm sketching him?" Marinette asked.

"Alya is right. He is a model and he didn't even bat an eyelash when he saw your pictures of him on your wall during that Jagged Stone live, he was ecstatic on the contrary. He will just think of it as the same for sure about your sketches" Tikki guaranteed. 

It was sad to admit but it was true. After another heavy sigh, her phone rang and showed Alya's picture.

"Are you fine now?" Alya checked.

"Yeah. I'm coming for you guys" Marinette replied sullenly. 

"You sound like you're hunting us but cool. We'll wait for you before eating. Cheer up okay?" Alya said as she dropped the call.

Marinette sighed again.

"You can do it, Marinette. You are a strong girl" Tikki improved her mood by hugging her.

"Thanks, Tikki" Marinette replied back and hid Tykki in her bag. 

She took a deep breath and paved her way to their usual spot in the school. Another turn and she'll meet Adrien again so she paced her steps slowly, getting her heart ready. Before she could join them, she heard the trio talking about something that halted her steps.

"Marinette's designs are really awesome as always. It was my first time looking at this many sketches of me though" Adrien said as he scratched his head.

Marinette was glued to the wall, trying to eavesdrop because she can't bring herself to approach them especially when they are talking about her.

"That's some serious dedication there, alright!" Nino said.

Marinette can't see them so she's not sure if they're looking at her sketches or what but the thought is making her embarrassed in a bad way. However, the notebook was still safe in Adrien's bag.

"It really did surprise me" Adrien replied and laughed.

"Marinette might have a crush on you if that's the case then" Nino acted like he didn’t know anything, but the truth is, he just wants to know how Adrien would react, completely unaware of Marinette's presence. Marinette on the other hand was having some steam drift away from her head in embarrassment and want to stop Nino, but they will catch her eavesdropping for sure. 

"No way… Marinette's just a friend" Adrien replied that made Alya roll her eyes without letting Adrien see. 

"If it is, would you date her then?" Alya asked straightforwardly that stumped Nino and Adrien that made their eyes wide. 

Marinette was also eager to hear his reply despite having mixed feelings.

"No.. No… I can’t possibly date her. I'm in love with someone else" Adrien replied with an awkward laugh and that was the bomb. 

Marinette smiled sadly knowing that this is how things will turn out in the end. 

Tykki opened the bag and looked at Marinette's face. She did not shed a tear, but her face right now is heartbreaking, accompanied by a very sad smile.

"I know this will happen anyway so I'm okay," Marinette told Tykki and took a deep breath. She was too drowned in her emotions to hear what Alya or Nino replied.

She took another deep breath and waited for fifteen seconds and put on a smile and told herself that she can do it.

"Hey, guys! Sorry, I was late!" she hurriedly approached and almost tripped, but Adrien was fast enough to catch her.

"Whoops! Sorry!" she said when Adrien steadied her but she instinctively pushed him away.

"Ah! Sorry! I mean thank you! And also sorry" She scrambled for her words and scratched her head. 

"Don't worry about it" Adrien replied with a smile. 

Marinette tried to ignore the fact that her heart was beating fast and went to sit beside Alya.

"I actually have something to do in the library but I heard from Alya that you got my notebook" Marinette was addressing Adrien and laughed awkwardly. 

Alya looked at her, elbowed Marinette, and raised her one eyebrow, asking for some explanations but Marinette just shook her head in response and gave a small smile. 

"Oh yeah! Here it is" Adrien reached for his bag and took out Marinette's notebook and gave it to her.

"Thank you! I won't probably remember all the designs I've made if I lost this" Marinette faked a sigh. 

"No problem! Those are amazing" Adrien said that made Marinette blush.

"Thanks! Perks of having a model classmate! Ha-ha! Ha!" She gave out another awkward laugh while eyeing the people around her suspiciously with a fake smile plastered on her face. 

"Glad that this model friend of yours can help" Adrien grinned boyishly and before Marinette would fall for him again, she's thinking of a way to excuse herself already.

"Thanks again! Sorry to cut this short but I need to go now! Enjoy your meal!" Marinette didn’t breath all throughout and strutted as fast as she could to avoid being suspicious. 

"I really can't comprehend how weird she is" Nino made a comment.

"Ditto boy" Alya seconded. 

"Can't believe I had a crush on her back then" he casually said that made Alya look at him. 

"But of course I love you now! That was water under the bridge!" Nino defended himself when he noticed Alya's gaze. 

"O-ho of course it is" Alya replied with a knowing smile.

"Why are you guys even flirting in front of me" Adrien sighed as he put his chin at the back of his hand. He can hear his friends laughing but his gaze was stuck where Marinette just vanished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! So the next update would probably on June 29 after my exam. Or earlier if I can finish studying asap TwT Pls wish me a good luck! HAHA! Enjoy!


	9. Broken

"Marinette, you can always give yourself a break" Tikki peeked from the bag and looked at her owner. Marinette is wearing a sad face and Tikki is feeling bad for her, especially hearing it from the guy's mouth no less. If they just knew that they're both in love with each other, they would be hurt less. 

"I will. Just not here and especially not now" Marinette sighed. 

Tikki knows that Marinette would want to cry but she doesn't know how to console her. As a kwami, she doesn't know how humans get hurt because of love, and neither does she know how to get over with it.

"Alya knows something is up with me. I need to hide the fact that I've heard what Adrien said. She'll worry about it for sure" Marinette said. 

A few days went by like that. She trying to avoid any interaction with Adrien and that is giving Adrien some worry too since Marinette is one of his friends and her peculiar behavior is something he is new of. 

"Does Marinette hate me?" Adrien asked worriedly as he sat in front of his two friends. 

"Not really. I noticed her avoiding me too" Nino said. 

"She might be facing a problem right now but she just won't tell me. She just asked me to give her some time for now" Alya supplied.

"That's rare. Why would Marinette keep a secret from you?" Nino asked.

"I know right? She won't talk to it with the other girls too. I won't be able to help her if I don't know what's wrong" Alya sighed. 

"This isn't like her to suddenly just cut us off," Adrien said. 

"Totally. It's been a few days already and the same thing is happening. I ask her to go out but she said she's busy. She'd also go as soon as classes are done and the worst part is, she's not eating lunch with us anymore" Alya added. 

"That library thing is just an alibi for sure," Nino said.

"Gee, thanks, Captain Obvious" Alya sneered. 

Adrien is getting worried about Marinette too because she never acted like this. He also doesn't know how to make her feel better if she's going through some problems. 

"Marinette always helps us. It should be our time to help her too" Adrien said.

"Yeah, why don't you try giving her flowers, Adrien?" Nino suggested that earned him an elbow from Alya. 

"Flowers?" Adrien was confused.

"What he meant was… All girls love flowers! I assure you that. You can try that to make her feel better!" Alya suggested. 

"That could be a great idea" Adrien agreed with their proposal and fished out his phone to contact Felix to ask for suggestions for the design. 

'Felix, are you busy?' and sent.

The reply was immediate and that took him off guard because it was not even a few seconds before he sent it.

It was a picture of a smiling Felix, holding a small hamster in his palm with a caption of 'Cheer up'

Adrien was so confused with the message but it was clarified when a follow-up text from Felix was received.

'Sorry, wrong send. You suddenly messaged me so I pressed the wrong number. I'm not busy, why?' was the content of the message. 

'That is a rare picture of you. Is that for Aunt Amelie?' he replied, forgetting about his prior question. 

A few moments later, a reply came.

'That was for Marinette. She likes hamsters so I thought it would cheer her up' 

Adrien read it and was dumbfounded. Does Felix know what's wrong with Marinette or he is also just like them, full of speculations why Marinette is acting differently?

He was supposed to tell Alya and Nino but the two love birds are now in their own world and he's not sure whether to disturb them or not. He chose the latter and just asked Felix.

'Do you know why she's sad?' Adrien asked straight to the point.

'You don’t know? She told me she got her heartbroken by someone' was Felix's reply after a few moments. 

When Adrien read that, he finally knows that Felix knows everything so he excused himself in a private spot and called him instead. 

"Tell me first before you call" was Felix's first line. 

"Sorry about that. I just want to know what's Marinette's problem and I never thought you'd know it" Adrien replied.

The other line was silent for a while before he answered.

"Don't tell Marinette I told you. She told me to keep it a secret especially from you guys" Felix sighed.

"Then why did you tell me then?" Adrien asked.

"Privilege of being my cousin, what else? Said she wants to get over this by herself so she kept it from you guys, probably" Felix replied. 

Thanks for letting me know, Felix. Can you help me pick a bouquet of flowers for her? It might make her feel better too" Adrien said.

"I don't recommend that. Just give her some time. Don't worry, I'm with her so you can rest assured. I have to drop this now. Bye," Felix replied and ended the call. 

Adrien is not cool with that idea. She cut off all of her friends, yet Felix was able to keep in touch with her. Something feels really off. 

A couple of minutes after the class resumed, their class was interrupted by a very loud static noise and everyone just dropped everything they're doing to cover their ears. 

Marinette took the chance where everyone was closing their eyes to run into the comfort room. She was not in her best condition but saving Paris is her number one priority.

"Tikki! Spots on!" 

The emergence of the supervillain has put her in a difficult spot as Chat Noir is still nowhere to be found. She knows that it will be difficult for Chat Noir to face the type of enemies using sound since cat ears are sensitive so she tried her best to finish things up as fast as she can.

To no avail though, every time the enemy releases a sound wave, it forms an entity made of visible sound waves. She needs to find the host villain first. 

It was in another few minutes when Chat Noir finally arrived and they tried to fight it together. However, with Marinette not being in the top condition flunked a couple of times that preventing them to get the Akuma. 

"Chat! Stall him! I'll ask for help!" Ladybug told Chat and disappeared immediately. 

"Why do you always have to do this to me, milady?" Chat sighed as he retracts his staff and hid behind a tree. 

"I hope I won't go deaf with this guy" Chat muttered. 

After a few moments, Ladybug did arrive with Rena Rogue and Carapace.

Carapace's Shelter was very convenient for them to block out the sound waves so it took them no time to finish it up. 

"We should do this often so things would finish up quickly" Chat Noir sighed. 

"I would if we could" was Ladybug's reply. 

"You were so out today, milady. Would you like to join me for dinner tonight and discuss your problems?" Chat Noir invited Ladybug but she just dismissed it as his usual joke. 

"I told you we can't know each other's identity" Ladybug sighed. Rena Rogue and Carapace is still rounding up some people before they would go back to Ladybug to give back their Miraculous. 

"I'd still love you whoever you are behind that mask" Chat Noir replied and that irked Ladybug. 

"That. That is the exact thing why I'm telling you to stop it. I don't want to be loved because I'm Ladybug. I want to be loved for the real me. Ladybug is just a part of me and this mask may make me strong and all… but what if I'm just a pathetic, useless person behind this mask? Of course, people would still accept me if they know I'm Ladybug but that would be unfair for the real me… You are in love with Ladybug, not the me behind this mask… These powers will be passed onto the next superhero soon and that Ladybug would be not me anymore" Ladybug said that made Chat Noir speechless. 

"I know how much it hurts to be heartbroken but let's be real. Our façade as superheroes would be finished once the evil will diminish and we'd be back to our normal lives. I still treasure my time with you and you are still the best partner I'll ever have, but we must also learn how to give up. Once we revoke our rights as Miraculous holders…. We'll forget each other…" Ladybug trailed off. It was to protect the secret of the Miraculous the reason why all holders of the Miraculous will forget them is to keep them and the Miraculous safe as well. 

"We'll forget each other?" Chat Noir was dumbstruck from what he had heard. He'll forget his memories with Ladybug? His first love?

"That's all I can say for now. Take care, Chat Noir. I hope you'll understand why I can't reciprocate your feelings. Bug out" Ladybug said as she threw her yoyo and approached Rena Rogue and Carapace.

Chat Noir returned to his house too and transformed back as Adrien.

"Did… I just get… rejected?" Adrien asked as he sat on his bed, exhausted.

"For 1345th times, but this might be the last one" Plagg replied as he gulped a slice of cheese. 

What do you mean by that?" Adrien asked.

"Didn't you hear her voice and resolution earlier? It would be best for you to stop making advances on her. She's right anyway. Let's put it this way, what if Kagami was Ladybug?" Plagg asked.

"There's no way that would be. Kagami is Ryuko" Adrien replied that made Plagg roll his eyes. 

"I'm speaking hypothetically" Plagg was getting exhausted. 

"Then… it would be great, don't you think?" Adrien replied.

"Exactly. But what if Ladybug was Chloe?" Plagg asked. "Hypothetically" he added before Adrien could open his mouth. 

Adrien wasn't able to answer immediately because he's trying to digest what Ladybug said. 

"Same case also if Ladybug was Alya or Rose. Would you just love them just because they're Ladybug?" Plagg asked.

"…Of course, I will" Adrien was too unsure of his answer. 

"You have no hope. Put your feet in Ladybug's shoes. She wants to e accepted fully, not just because she's Ladybug. Do some reflection kid while I will finish my gourmet" Plagg said as he brought out a whole plate full of the camembert cheese. 

Adrien remained in his bed, trying to think what Ladybug said and the scenarios Plagg has given him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yey! Finally finished m exam and I hope you liked this chapter. Finished it in one sitting! I will update again in two days! I just also wanna share my Marinette wig will arrive in a few days, so I'm inspired to write the story faster! I can't wait to cosplay Marinette because a lot of ideas come into my mind if I cosplay them xD See you!


	10. Rebound

"Why do you have to lie to Chat Noir like that, Marinette?" Tikki sadly asked. "That's so not you" she added. 

"That thing is called a white lie, Tikki" Marinette replied. 

"But a lie is still a lie. Miraculous holders don’t forget their memories even if they're not holders anymore. Only the guardian knows who the next holder is so they would still be safe even if they have their memories" Tikki said.

"If I make Chat Noir believe that we will forget everything when we no longer have our Miraculous, it will give him more drive to remove his feelings for me. It's hard but we've been playing cat and mouse for three whole years. I don't want him to suffer just like I did, clinging on to that little hope that our love interest would look in our way" Marinette explained. 

"But Chat Noir will surely feel betrayed," Tikki said. 

"I am the Guardian, Tikki. If Chat Noir continues harboring those feelings for me and later finds out that I won't remember him would be another huge blow so let's just go with it, until he finally loses all his romantic feelings for me" Marinette sighed. 

"I'm do not fully support your decision but I will trust you. I know you will find a way to make things right" Tikki said.

"Thanks, Tikki. I hope Chat Noir won't think too badly of me. I know how it feels to be rejected so I'm sure he's also down right now" Marinette sighed as she remembered Adrien again.

"Why do we have to get hurt?" Marinette asked herself as she lay on her bed. Adrien's pictures were already removed from her walls since it's easier for her to also forget those lingering feelings. 

Tikki doesn’t know how to respond to that so she just sat near Marinette's head, trying to console her. 

"I wish I'll be better when I wake up. Truth already slapped me so the rest is all up to me" Marinette said as she closed her eyes. 

The next day, she woke up with less negative feelings, still a little bit sad from her broken heart but it's been over a week she's been moping around and ignoring her friends. They cheered on her when she was still in love with Adrien so she doesn't want to trouble them over her heartbreak. That's the least she could do from adding to their worries and decided to just tell them when she finally has moved on. 

The day went by normally except when Marinette joined the girls for lunch with a smile. 

"Our princess is feeling better now?" Alya joked as Marinette sat on a vacant spot. 

"I'm doing better now! Sorry for worrying you guys the past few days but I'm doing my best to be okay!" Marinette jollily replied. 

"I know you don't want to trouble us girl, but you can also rely on us whenever you have problems. That's what friends are for" Alya lectured. 

"I'm all ears for you" Juleka also added. 

Nino and the other guys are on a separate spot so the girls are all in for gossips. 

"Thank you, guys. I just want to solve this on my own for now! I will tell you guys about it in due time. So what did I miss?" Marinette asked. 

"Nothing much. Last weekend, we hang out at the park near Louvre with everyone" Alya supplied.

"More like they made it a dating spot. Imagine what I have to go through seeing these couples getting cheesy around me" Alix complained. 

"Though Adrien wasn't there. His father didn't allow him" Rose said. 

"I'll make it up to you guys. I will bring some macaroons the next time we hang out" Marinette promised and the girls cheered. 

"Also, I heard from Nino that Adrien feels a little down today. Why are people being secretive lately?" Alya grumbled. 

"Maybe there are just things that are hard to talk about," Marinette said. 

The girls looked at her and got her point. Marinette can totally relate to Adrien right now.

The girls continued their lunch when Marinette's phone beeped. She opened it and saw a cute picture of a hamster. Felix has been sending her hamster pictures every day, saying it was to make her feel better. She smiled at the thought and Alix, who was beside her can't resist looking at her phone and saw Felix's name. 

"Is another bud going to bloom again soon?" Alix sighed as she picked at her food. 

Marinette heard it and knowing that Alix saw her phone, she recoiled.

"What? No way! He's just a friend" Marinette replied and all of the attention was focused on her again. 

'Just a friend. Here we go again' Alya thought to herself.

"Who is?" Juleka was thrown out of the loop.

"Who else? Felix of course" Alix replied with a grimace. 

"No way! Marinette is in love with Adrien!" Rose exclaimed in a hushed manner that made Marinette cringe a little. 

"Right" Marinette replied sarcastically but none of the girls noticed it. 

"And you could use this chance to get closer to him!" Rose excitedly sad. 

"No… I don't want to take advantage of Adrien's situation right now" Marinette sadly said. Besides, she's in the process of moving on. There's no guarantee that Adrien will look her way if she'll pursue him anyway. 

"Let Adrien get over his heartbreak first," Alya said. 

"And by the way, was it Kagami who broke his heart?" Alix asked that earned everyone's attention.

"No… Way…" Juleka was the first one to react. 

"Yup! No way! Kagami is in love with Adrien" Marinette supplied.

"That means Adrien got his heartbroken by some other girl, which is not Kagami, which means Kagami might also use this chance to get Adrien!" Alya went on with her theory. 

"Totally!"

"Agreed!" 

The girls supported Alya and that made Marinette sigh.

"Guys.. Stop. I know that Adrien I vulnerable right now but I don't think that he'd turn to Kagami immediately… I think. Besides, it's not easy to cope up with a broken heart" Marinette said that made the girls look at her. 

"She said 'I think'" Alix remarked. 

"Girl, wake up. Adrien and Kagami almost dated. There's no way it won't happen now" Alya reminded.

"Adrien is indeed charming and a lot of girls flock around him, we know that. But to be honest, I'm not particular about who he wants to date right now. All that's important is he's happy and can get all the love he deserves. All I wish for him is that that girl will love him with all her heart. I'm contented knowing that" Marinette replied but she only noticed Alix's eyes focused behind her while the others are grinning, looking at her. 

"Well, thanks for that compliment. That cheered me up" Adrien said as he hooked her arm around Marinette's shoulder. 

"A-A-Adrien!?" Marinette exclaimed and tried to get away from Adrien in shock as soon as she can, resulting in her clumsy self to fall on her butt. 

She immediately stood up and dust herself off.

"You- you were listening? That's not nice!" Marinette tried to hide her embarrassment by acting angry. 

"Sorry, I just have to pick Juleka to practice for our presentation later. I promise I didn't mean to hear that" Adrien explained.

The other girls are looking away, with their shoulders shaking trying to stifle their laughter. Marinette just glared at them and looked back to Adrien. Her face mellowed out as she clasped her hands behind her. 

"Look, I'm sorry about it but I'm really glad you are looking out for me. You really are a great friend. Don't worry, I appreciate what you said" Adrien said and tapped Marinette's shoulder. 

"You heard him, girl. Boy, Adrien you lucky guy to have her as a friend" Alix praised with a hint of teasing. 

"I could say the same for everyone" Adrien smiled and Marinette was just speechless and just reached for her nape in embarrassment. 

"Keep it up sunshine boy" Alya joked around. 

"Anyways, can we borrow Juleka now? Sorry to cut your time short" Adrien apologized. 

Rose pushed Juleka off the chair towards Adrien and shouted, "You can nail it, babe!". 

The gang just waved goodbye jokingly as Juleka and Adrien walked away. Using lunchtime to prepare for the next class is very said indeed. 

"I want the ground to swallow me up right now, this instant" Marinette said as she buried her face in her palms and faked a sob.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated a little later than expected ToT But hey, I just got my results today and I passed my exams! Sem is finally over for me!


	11. Turn

"Marinette really is the queen for timings" Alya laughed. 

"Please don't remind me anymore. I'm so embarrassed I could die" Marinette sighed. 

"Girl, you just confessed your undying love for him, why be shy?" Rose snickered.

"Except, the man in question is so dense that he failed to notice the romance behind those words," Alix said. 

"Touché! You two are two peas in a pod" Alya commented. 

"I'm not that dense, am I?" Marinette asked that made Alix spew, literally, the juice she was drinking. 

"She's not that dense, she says" Alix repeated and laughed. 

The other girls could relate to Alix but they just stifled their laughs. Marinette can do nothing but pout. 

"Whatever. Let's start with our report before you guys make more fun of me" Marinette said.

….

"'You really are a great friend!' A great friend!" Plagg was muttering to himself, repeating what Adrien said the other day. Every time he remembers what Adrien said, he cannot stop himself from repeating it in mockery. 

"A great friend! Pwah!" He said as if he tasted spoiled cheese. He really can't get over how dense his boy is. Anyone could realize that he was dearly loved by that girl. Except for him. 

"Why are everyone around me so blind!" Plagg complained as he settled on top of his camembert. 

"Who is?" Adrien suddenly popped behind him, fresh from the shower. 

"Who? Right, I should ask myself that" Plagg replied sarcastically. 

"You know that won't work on me," Adrien said. 

"I don't know. Who're the people around me, you think?" Plagg replied.

"Just tell me already if you're throwing some shade on me" Adrien was getting annoyed. 

"I certainly most was not," Plagg said as he grabbed his camembert and left the room with a confused Adrien. 

"What the hell was that?" Adrien muttered to himself as he returned his focus to the TV, changing the channels. 

A couple of minutes later, his phone rang. It was his cousin. 

"Where are you? I thought we'll be meeting like 15 minutes ago" Adrien can feel the annoyance in his cousin's voice. He forgot. He totally forgot he's meeting up with Felix. 

"Give me 10 minutes! I'll be there!" He replied and dropped the call. 

He panicked left ad right for his things before going out of his room. 

He asked his driver to take him to a restaurant near Sacre Coeur, where he should be meeting Felix.

To his surprise though, there was someone else sitting with Felix. It was Kagami. 

"Hey!" He greeted and the two looked at him.

"Finally. I presume you forgot all about our engagement" Felix sighed. 

"Sorry about that. I was a bit preoccupied earlier" Adrien apologized. "I'm surprised to see you here with Felix, Kagami" he added.

"We were-"

"Just met here by accident, she thought I was you and that explains that" Felix cut Kagami off before she could even finish her sentence. Kagami didn't like it though so she shot daggers at him with her glares. 

"That's right" Kagami agreed nevertheless. 

"You're coming anyway so I asked her to stay and wait for you" Felix replied. 

"I see. It's been some time, Kagami. I hope you are doing all right" Adrien said. 

"I am. Things are becoming hectic with the sem ending soon though" Kagami replied. 

"Right. I'm also having a hard time keeping up with the requirements" Adrien sighed. 

"You should've just graduated earlier" Felix sighed with a hint of mockery.

"I'm not a genius like you so leave me alone" Adrien replied. 

"I just want to remind you" Felix joked. He was pertaining to Adrien's emotional quotient though. 

"I'm sorry but I can't stay for a long chat. I need to meet my mom now. See you soon, Adrien" Kagami said as she left the two.

"She didn't even bid goodbye to me" Felix complained. 

"Because of that joke you made. She didn't like it for sure" Adrien sighed. 

"Not that I mind though" Felix replied. 

The two talked about their Amelie's birthday and they plan to do something for her. 

"So, how's Marinette doing in school?" Felix asked out of nowhere. 

"She looks fine to me. She shouted at me yesterday so I think she's doing pretty well now" Adrien said. 

"What did you do?" Felix laughed. 

"I heard her praising me and I promise I didn’t mean to listen to that, I just did" Adrien replied. 

"Don't fall for her now that you got your heart broken" Felix's expression suddenly changed to a grim one for a few moments before he smiled again. "If you know what I mean" he added. 

"No, it's not like that. I just appreciate it when my friends support me in any way. Besides, it's not even easy to mend a broken heart" Adrien sighed. 

"Exactly why I'm asking about her. She acts fine whenever we communicate but we haven't met lately so I was also getting worried" Felix said.

"Hey. I'm also broken-hearted and you didn't even send me one message" Adrien complained.

"I didn't even know who you got your heart broken with so how am I even supposed to know?" Felix's reply was logical.

Only Plagg knows that he's in love with Ladybug. Other people would just dismiss it as an infatuation because falling in love with a superhero seems childish to them. She saved thousands of people the past few years so who wouldn't admire her? People don't know he's Chat Noir so as Adrien, his love would be no different than others who only see her as the superhero Ladybug. 

"I can't say it yet" Adrien sighed.

"You can always open up to me whenever you're ready. I hope you'll get over that person soon" Felix consoled.

"Thanks for that" Adrien replied. 

"I have to go now since I have a business with someone. I'll see you again soon" Felix stood up and tapped Adrien's shoulder before leaving. Adrien was left thinking on his own before he also left the restaurant. 

Just as he was driving home, while leaning on the window, looking outside, he saw a familiar figure sitting at the bench of Canal Saint-Martin and asked the driver to stop.

He sneakily positioned himself behind the bench before speaking. 

"Hey there Marinette!" he greeted.

"Gyaaah!" was all Marinette managed to say. 

"Adrien! Why do you always come out of nowhere!" Marinette was grumbling since she was too surprised. Her thoughts are now in complete disarray and she forgot about what she was thinking. 

"What are you doing here all alone?" Adrien asked. 

"I was trying to get some time to think" Marinette replied.

"Sorry, was I a bother?" Adrien was concerned. 

"Nah, It's okay I totally forgot about it now, haha!" Marinette replied that made Adrien unsure if he's feel bad or be happy about it. 

"So, what brings you here?" Marinette asked him. 

"I was just passing through when I saw you alone, so I thought I'd say hi" Adrien replied as he sat beside Marinette. 

"Great. I thought you'd be avoiding me" Marinette mumbled. 

"Why would I avoid you?" Adrien asked in confusion and the question set Marinette into a panic because she didn't expect Adrien to hear it. 

"Nothing! Nothing! You know… for shouting at you yesterday" Marinette replied as she placed her hand at her nape. 

"It was my fault anyway. Sorry about that" Adrien apologized. 

"It's fine now. How are you anyway? I heard you're feeling down" Marinette asked.

Adrien's not sure if Marinette knows already so she just decided to spill it. 

"My heart still hasn't recovered but I'm trying my best to be okay now" Adrien replied.

So he really was broken-hearted! Marinette thought. She was about to say something nasty about the girl who rejected him but then, she realized what he did to Chat Noir too.

"I'm so sorry to hear about that. I know the feeling of being rejected so I know how much you're hurting too" Marinette replied and smiled at Adrien sadly. 

"Yea. I can't even tell people who I'm in love with. They'd say that it would be going nowhere if I keep loving her.." Adrien replied. 

"Do you need those people's approval for loving her?" Marinette asked.

"What? ..No" Adrien was puzzled. 

"Then why would you let people invalidate your feelings for her. Going nowhere or what, no one has the right to say that. Who knows, one day she will finally look your way" Marinette replied. 

"But that girl rejected me already and said it's impossible" Adrien laughed in a painful manner that made Marinette avert her gaze. She has not fully recovered from her heartache with Adrien yet here he goes telling about his broken heart too. 

"Well, if it's really impossible, don't you think it's already a time to move on?" Marinette smiled. 

"That's what they told me too" Adrien laughed. 

"Because that's the most possible way to stop being hurt, don’t you think? There are other people who love you just like how you love her. Now maybe not the time but someday, if you can open your heart again, you'll see that there's someone around you who loves you more than you'd love that girl" Marinette said. 

Adrien was thinking about what Marinette said. He remembered Kagami saying about changing targets but he dismissed it back then because he still decided to pursue Ladybug. 

"Sometimes, the one you're waiting for will just arrive. Don't look for her, just wait for her to arrive in your life. She would just change your world someday and you'd feel like you're the luckiest person in this world" Marinette added before Adrien could even reply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update :( I got sick and was not allowed to use gadgets.


	12. Ignite

"And they might arrive in the most unexpected way too, right?" Adrien laughed. 

"That's what they say" Marinette laughed. "Sometimes, you won't even know you'd have feelings for that person and poof, you just suddenly find out you're already in love with that person" she added. 

"I can agree to that" Adrien laughed, reminiscing the first time she met Ladybug but it backfired anyway, leaving him hurting more. 

Marinette noticed the change in Adrien's demeanor and felt bad talking about it so she just decided to change the topic. 

"We really should unwind soon. I think we really need that in order to move on" Marinette said as she looked away from Adrien, giving a melancholic smile. 

Adrien looked at Marinette, forgetting about that she was also going through a heartbreak, and suddenly felt bad. He should scold himself later. 

"Unwind?" Adrien asked. 

"We mostly hang out whenever we have group projects or anything related to school. Why don't we invite Alya and the others after the sem ends and go to the skating rink again?" Marinette forced a smile. 

'You really like torturing yourself, Marinette' she thought. 

"That would be a great idea" Adrien lightened up. 

"Good. We can invite Kagami, Felix, and Luka too" Marinette happily said. 

"Right. I'll ask Felix soon" Adrien smiled. 

"Let's have a day where everyone can enjoy without any worries. It would be the best thing to do after our finals" Marinette added. 

"I hope everyone can come. We'll be graduating next year and for sure everyone has already had their paths to take" Adrien sighed. 

"If… you have any problems… you can always tell me. I'm here to listen" Marinette consoled. 'Smart move, Marinette. Seems like digging your own grave has become your hobby' she scolded herself but shook the thought anyway. Adrien needs someone right now. 

"It's nothing worthy, really, but you do have plans after you finish high school?" Adrien asked.

"I plan on staying here in Paris to continue studying fashion! It's my dream" Marinette giggled at the thought of her being a designer. 

Adrien just looked at her in awe as she was daydreaming on her own. 

"I wish I had a dream like that too" Adrien sighed that brought back Marinette to the real world.

"Don't you have one?" Marinette's face turned sad as she asked that question.

"I mainly have goals but I'm lacking the passion you people have" Adrien supplied that made Marinette speechless. Indeed, Adrien is usually full of drive but is there any difference between his goals and his dreams? Marinette doesn't have the courage to ask. She rather has Adrien open up about it. 

"Well, you're good at modeling" Marinette suddenly blurted that made Adrien smile sadly. 

"Thanks for that, but I didn't really dream of becoming a model. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that I got the privilege of being a model, thanks to my dad but sometimes, I feel like I'm just riding on his coattail. I do like modeling but I just did it because my dad told me to do so" Adrien said melancholy. 

Marinette didn't have these experiences so she doesn’t really know what to tell him. 

"Modeling still requires talent so I think you deserve what you have right now. You are awesome. People flock at you and there are a lot of guys who idolizes you because they think you are someone to look up to. Just think that your father's fame is a springboard and grab the chance. Not everyone has that privilege so you just need to maximize what you have. Ha-ha" Marinette jumbled on her words, not sure about what she's already saying. 

"That indeed made me feel better but I'm sort of envious about you guys having this one dream" Adrien laughed awkwardly. 

"Back then, I just want to be free from the grasp of my dad. So simple-minded, aren't I? Then I met a lot of people that influenced me to think about my decisions in life and about my future too. Now, I really want to be just like them, having that same passion to achieve their dreams" Adrien added while smiling. 

Marinette was just gazing at him dreamily and when Adrien turned her to her, she suddenly slapped her face that surprised Adrien. 

"Are you okay?!" Adrien asked. 

"Sorry! That- that was a mosquito!" Marinette managed to say before turning away from Adrien and slapped her forehead about her own stupidity. 'What kind of alibi was that?!'

"Anyways" Marinette composed herself and turned back to Adrien. "You still have time to discover what you really want, you know. People's minds are so mysterious like what you think about not liking one thing, the next day it becomes your favorite thing. Just a thought, if you just like modeling right now, there might be something to drive you to be passionate about it someday, like aiming to be known worldwide. Or maybe hate it, but let's think about the former. Maybe you won't be able to appreciate your efforts today but soon, it might become your whole life. I even won't be surprised if you turned out to be a rock star or a baker in the future" Marinette said while laughing at the last part. 

"You really are our everyday Ladybug" Adrien laughed which made Marinette freeze a little. "Your words struck me and I will take those with me and seriously think about it from now on. I really wish to discover it soon. You're really the best, Marinette" Adrien smiled.

"No problem" Marinette replied. "I'll always be here for you guys".

"Thank you for that. It's getting late now, do you want a lift? I don't think it's a good idea for you to walk alone" Adrien suggested.

"You're right about that. I'll take up on that offer then" Marinette smiled. She is savoring every moment with Adrien right now but her brain is telling her to wake up and face the reality. 

While on the car, they talked about random things and occasionally laughing until they got into Marinette's place. 

"Well, see you at school," Marinette said as both of them got off the car. 

"See you and thank you again," Adrien said and squeezed her in a tight hug. 

"Bye" Adrien then waved his hands in goodbye while Marinette was just standing at the front of their bakeshop like a statue. Adrien's car already left but her eyes are still hazy from the previous event. Part of her brain is getting terrified at the thought that something that's supposed to diminish, is getting ignited again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay... It's been some time since I've watched MLB so I hope my story still coincides with the canon plot. More Adrienette in the next chapters XD


	13. Start

"Care to share?" Alya asked Marinette first thing in the morning after entering their classroom while showing her a picture. 

"How did you even get that!?" Marinette asked as she grabbed Alya's hands to put down her phone. 

"I got it from connections" Alya smirked.

"Hi, I'm connections" Alix passed by them and happened to hear them. She then looked at Marinette and smirked, giving her an 'I know something' face. 

"Thanks for spoiling the fun, Alix" Alya said and returned her focus on Marinette.

"It was nothing! We just happened to meet there, okay?" Marinette brushed her off. 

"Na-uh. You're not getting away with that. You have to spill everything later" Alya said when their teacher came in.

Alya never got the chance to do it though. She was kept busy during lunch and only had to stay just to eat. She and Marinette are not from the same group so she never got the chance to interrogate Marinette. 

"I'm thankful that we finished ours already. It's really a pain to do that report" Juleka said. 

"I know right? I feel like being under the microscope whenever we have her class" Alix said as she checked her arms for goosebumps. 

"I also agree" Marinette sighed. "I'm afraid about the finals!" she added.

"But you always ace those? What are you getting worried about?" Rose asked.

"I-" Marinette stopped before she can say anything to worry her friends. Her being heartbroken should not be hinder her self development so she just trashed the idea.

"I'm just worried I won't be able to study enough" she decided and earned her a boo from Alix and a laugh from Juleka and Rose.

"You're just a worrywart, Marinette. I know you can do it" Rose said. 

"Thanks" Marinette smiled. 

The others excused their selves to do their own thing and Marinette was just left there so she decided to doodle on her notebook again. She got inspired so she decided to put those in a picture. At this time too, Felix would message to check up on how she is so she would just reply and go back to drawing. 

A few moments later, a familiar voice sounded behind her. 

"Hey there, Marinette" 

Marinette automatically closed her notebook and looked behind her. 

"Ah! Hi Adrien!" Marinette greeted and gave a wave. 

"May I sit?" Adrien asked and pointed at the seat in front of her.

"S-Sure! Go ahead! Yes!" she stammered and is unsure what to do.

"I just wanna thank you for yesterday. I didn’t think about telling my insecurities to others since I'm afraid about them changing opinions about me" Adrien said shyly. 

"Don't be sorry about that kind of thing. If people love you, they'll accept all of you, including all of your insecurities and flaws" Marinette said that made Adrien look at her. He was not sure to ask the question in his mind because it might make things awkward, so he decided to rephrase it instead. 

"Does that include you?" Adrien teased and laughed. 

Marinette's eyes bulged at the question and almost freaked out but she regained her composure.

"Ha-ha! Of course! I'm your friend!" Marinette replied and emphasized the word friend. 

"Thank you. I'm really lucky to have you" Adrien smiled. 

If he only knew how many girls would die for that smile. Marinette was just gazing at Adrien, not caring about the world again. Adrien was kind of used to Marinette just suddenly engulfed in her own world and sometimes, he thinks that that's what makes her feel special. He then heard Marinette's phone beeped, signaling a message.

"Marinette?" he said as it was awkward to be gazed upon but it seems like Marinette didn't hear him so he tried again. 

"Marinette?" he asked again with a wave in front of Marinette's face that caused her to move away while screaming a 'gya'.

"Sorry, what was it?" Marinette asked in confusion.

"Your phone beeped" Adrien supplied.

"Oh sorry about that" Marinette replied while biting her lips due to embarrassment. She then opened her phone and saw a reply from Felix. 

When she opened and read it, she sweats a little and glanced at Adrien and back to her phone again.

"Hm?" Adrien asked when he noticed the glance. 

"Nothing!" Marinette replied and gave an awkward smile. She just gave up the idea of resisting and grabbed her notebook out and took out a snap. 

Adrien noticed what's in the notebook and got surprised a little. 

It was the notebook that he found and still haven't confirmed if it was really him or Felix. That may be the reason why Marinette was ogling at him earlier because he looks exactly like Felix. 

"Is that Felix in your notebook?" Adrien just decided to ask.

"What!? No!" Marinette replied aggressively and hugged her notebook to prevent anyone from seeing the content. 

"I mean, it's not Felix" Marinette added with her usual awkwardly wide grin.

"So is that me?" Adrien continued to pry.

Marinette was caught red-handed so she had no alibi. She sometimes wishes that her mouth is connected to her brain and right now, she wanna slap herself. 

"I mean I've done some couple of designs for you back then, right? I thought you'd be the best model to use my designs at. Ha-ha" Marinette replied shyly and giving Adrien side glances. 

She was too shy to look at the guy right now. 

"Well… I-… I'm surprised, to be honest," Adrien replied.

Marinette sighed sadly and refused to look at Adrien.

"You saw it didn't you? You probably think my designs are bad" Marinette said, looking down at her hands. She completely forgot about Felix, who was messaging her. 

"No! That thought never entered my mind! Not even once, I promise!" Adrien was panicking at the thought that he made Marinette sad. 

Marinette was radiating with happiness when she heard that. 

"I really like your arts and designs ever since so have some confidence in yourself. I'm surprised because there are a lot of people who are way better than me, yet you made me your muse" Adrien uttered shyly while rubbing his nape. 

Marinette's eyes widened hearing those and she was a loss for words. 

"I also thought you were drawing Felix since he and I both looked so similar that people can't differentiate the two of us" Adrien continued. 

Marinette finally snapped from her daydream.

"Oh, no... You and Felix don't look alike at all" Marinette suddenly blurted that made Adrien widen his eyes in confusion. 

"Ah, what I meant, yes both of you look somewhat similar but very different at the same time. Like the way you guys smile, you do it more naturally while Felix mostly does it like a grin or …. …. " Marinette continued on talking and Adrien is getting mesmerized the more she talks about him. How is it that this girl can easily say all of those when other people can't even notice him and Felix's difference? Not even their parents did but this girl in front of him is speaking fondly how different he is from Felix. 

"I talked too much, didn't I?" Marinette asked when she noticed she blabbered too much. 

"No… no… I'm surprised you noticed so many things I didn't even notice towards my cousin. I'm appalled towards myself" Adrien said. 

"Oh no… I didn’t want you to feel that way. I meant no harm" Marinette apologized.

"No, it's about me. As we grew, we might've grown detached from one another but I don't want you to feel bad, okay? It's my fault for not checking up on him regularly. You might be closer to him than I do" Adrien laughed.

"That couldn't be possibly true, right? Besides, I have a lot I don't know about Felix too" Marinette replied. 

"He's kinda secretive, I guess, and your phone beeped twice already. I hope I'm not taking up your time" Adrien said.

"It's okay, really! I'll just check my message" Marinette assured and opened her phone. 

There were two messages from Felix and she opened it. 

'That would also look good on me, don't you think? And is that Adrien in front of you?'

'You're probably using your time to gaze at him. I mean it's okay if you're doing it for your designs but be mindful of your heart, sweetie~ You can always just look at me' 

Marinette was so flushed at his words but she can't ignore the warnings Felix gave. 

"Are you okay?" Adrien asked when he noticed Marinette burning red. 

"What? I-no! I mean yes! I'm totally fine!" Marinette stumbled on her words. 

He looked at Marinette type rapidly and shut her phone off. 

"Sorry, it was Felix and he'd been messing with me so much lately. Ha-ha!" Marinette forced a laugh while scratching the back of her head in awkwardness.

"Oh…" Adrien is surprised and unsure of what to say and what to feel. There's something tugging at his gut but he ignored it.


End file.
